Summary Health Statistics for the U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 1998

Series 10, No. 209. Summary Health Statistics for the U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 1998. 121 pp. (PHS) 2002-1537.
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This report is one of a set of reports summarizing data from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).  Estimates are presented for the prevalence of selected chronic conditions, selected mental health characteristics, limitation in activity, respondent-assessed health status, health behaviors, health care access and utilization, and AIDS virus testing status.  Two other reports in this set provide data on health measures for children and for the U.S. population.

Highlights:

In 1998, 65% of adults reported excellent or very good health.

Seventeen percent of adults less than 65 years of age had no health insurance coverage, and 14% of adults did not have a usual place of medical care.

Twelve percent of adults had ever been told by a doctor or health professional that they had heart disease, and 19% had been told on two or more visits that they had hypertension.
Nearly a quarter of adults were current smokers, and 23% were former smokers.

Sixty percent of adults did not engage in any leisure-time vigorous physical activity, and based on estimates of body mass index, 35% were overweight and 20% were obese.

Summary Statistics for U.S. Adults:  National Health Interview Survey, 1998:  is available on the NCHS Web site.

This page last reviewed January 11, 2007